Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Ten years ago Oury Jalloh was burnt to death in a police cell in Dessau

It was ten years ago, that Oury Jalloh burnt to death in a police cell in Dessau.

Ten years after his death his friends will come to Dessau again to demonstrate and shout out “Oury Jalloh – that was murder!” into the faces of those who didn't want to hear it for the past ten years.

A human being was burnt to death in a police cell. Why, that doesn't matter in the case of the young man from Sierra Leone, the white police officers say it was suicide. His hands and feet tied up, lying on a fireproof mattress he is supposed to have set light to himself. The police officer in charge was charged with negligent homicide and had to pay a fine. He turned of the signal of the cell's smoke alarm twice and simply ignored it. The assumption, that Oury Jalloh set light to himself however remains unchallenged. No one calls it a murder. The clear discrepancies, which came to light during the trial as well as the disappearance of evidence don't change that the investigation was only concerned with the suicide hypothesis.

After two trials the federal court closed the case in September 2014. But there is a report on the fire as well as additional toxicological and forensic expertises, which were financed through donations to the Oury Jalloh initiative, that clearly prove that Oury Jalloh was murdered in police custody. And there are more and more clues pointing towards a “unknown suspect with glasses” who supposedly was present in the police station during the murder.

Oury Jalloh's death through fire has become a symbol of racist police violence in Germany, which is experienced by thousands of people on a daily basis, a violence that has robbed them of their livelihood, their health and of their belief in a safe life.Is there still a chance, after ten years, to get a just verdict regarding his murderers from a court and to break the cartel of silence and obscurity? What are the possibilities of bringing the trial to the European Court of Justice? And who can the pressure on the streets and in the media help to force German police officers to stop their unpunished mistreatment of people of color?

On the 7th of January there will be a protest march in Dessau (Sachsen-Anhalt) in remembrance of Oury Jalloh. With this event, besides providing information on the case and it's political significance, we want to invite you to come to Dessau with us. We want to confront the racist normality and make it clear that the culprits and their accomplices won't have a moment of peace without justice.

We want to book several busses and drive together to Dessau in the morning on the 7th of January. To assure anyone can take the bus, regardless of income, we are asking for donations using the keyword “Oury Jalloh – NRW”.